Elastically yieldable rail fastener



United States Patent lnventor Roger Paul Sonneville 5, Rue Maurice Ravel, 92 Saint Cloud, France Appl. No. 768,785 Filed Oct. 18, 1968 Patented Dec. 29, 1970 Priority Nov. 20, 1967 France No. 128791 ELASTICALLY YIELDABLE RAIL FASTENER 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 238/349 EOlb 9/34 238/349, 283, 315

References Cited I UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,095,462 l0/l 937 Willard 238/349 2,378,590 6/1945 Snyder 238/349 2.451.414 10/1948 Snyder 238/349 3,112,071 11/1963 Sonneville v 238/349 3,206,123 9/1965 Baker. 238/349 3,432,098 3/1969 Sato 238/283 3,436,018 4/1969 Alexander r 238/349 FOREIGN PATENTS 138,303 8/1950 Australia 238/349 Primary Examiner-Arthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner-Richard A. Bertsch Atr0rneyR0bert E. Burns ABSTRACT: An additional abutment means is provided on an elastically yieldable railway rail fastener, including two strips interconnected by a loop portion, for laterally positioning the rail relative to the rail support prior to the tightening down of the fastener. This abutment means depends the free edge of the lower one of said strips facing the flange of the rail.

ELASTICALLY YIELDABLE RAIL FASTENER The present invention relates to elastically yieldable rail. fasteners for fastening rails of railway tracks on supports such as sleepers or ties. Such fasteners usually consist of two strips interconnected by a loop portion which acts as a', bearing surface on the rail support. When tightening down, the upper strip of the member, which is longer than the lower strip, bears on the flange of the rail whereas the lower strip is adapted to ensure the correct lateral positioning of the rail by the abutment of its free end against the flange.

Owing to improvements in the manufacture. of elastically yieldable fasteners and in particular in their shape, the quality of the spring steels and the precision and efficiency of their heat treatment, it has been possible to improve their per.- formances. This results in an increasev in the available elasticity of this elastically yieldable fastener, that is, the distance f between the upper strip, and the edge of theflange of the rail before tightening down. For example, this distance f has changed from about 3 mm. in previously manufactured fasteners to about 5 mm. in present constructions and even more than 6 mm. if the fastener is forged from variable-section rolled steel.

Unfortunately, this improvement in the elastic performances of the fastener increases the practical difficulties when laying the rail and fastening it to the sleeper. Indeed, if the distance f exceeds the thickness of the lower strip or branch of the fastener (which serves as a lateral'abutment for the edge of the flange of the rail and definesthe exact position thereof on the sleeper in the transverse direction) and if,-

moreover, the lower branch touches the lower face of the upper branch in the free state, as usually occurs in practice, the lower branch of the fastener is located above the level of the edge of the flange of the rail and cannot perform its lateral abutment function before the fastener has been tightened down.

This defect is accentuated by the generally rounded shape of the section of the rail in the region in which the vertical face and the upper face of the flange are connected. Consequently, upon assembly, when the fastener is not yet tightened down, the exact position that the rail must occupy on the sleeper transversely of the track (which determines the width of the track) is not defined. Under these conditions, the rail is on one side placed too near the corresponding fastener and the lower branch disadvantageously abuts the upper face of the flange of the rail or the radiused portion between the vertical face and this upper face of the flange. Moreover, it is very difficult to perceive this since this critical region is hidden by the upper strip of the fastener.

The object 'of the invention is to remedy these drawbacks.

The invention provides an elastically yieldable fastener comprising two metal strips interconnected by a loop portion which bears against the rail support, the lower strip, considered in the position of utilization of the fastener, being adapted to ensure the lateral positioning of the rail .by the abutment of the free edge of the lower strip against the flange of the rail, wherein at least one additional abutment means adapted to ensure the lateral positioning of therailprior to the tightening down of the fastener depends-from said free edge of said lower strip facing the flange of the rail.

According .to a preferred embodiment, said abutment means is constructed by downwardly bending the corners of the lower strip along a line which is oblique relative to the edge of the strip perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the track.

In this way, the effective height of the free edge of the lower strip of the fastener is increased without increasing the amount of material employed for its manufacture merely at the price of a very simple hot or cold forging operation.

Further features and advantages of the inve ntion will be apparent from the ensuing descriptionwith reference to the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are respectively side elevational. end elevational and plan views of an elastically yieldable fastener according to the invention;

7 FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and i FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of .a conventional fastener.

The elastically yieldable fasteners shown in FIGS. 1-4 and FIG. 5 are adapted to fasten a rail R on a sleeper or tie T provided with a'sole member 8 in combination with a bolt or like fixing means (not shown).

These fasteners are of the type having two strips or branches 1, 2, interconnected by a loop portion 3 which bears in a cylindrical recess C having a horizontal'axis X-X provided in the sleeper. The upper and lower strips and 2 have an aperture 4 in their median zones on a vertical axis Y-Y for the passage of theaforernentioned bolt or like fixing means.

The upper strip 1 of the fastener bears along a first line of contact on one'of the parts P of the flange F of the rail and the lower strip 2' is adapted to laterally position the rail by the abutment of its free edge 5 against a vertical face P of the rail flange.

Now, for the reason explained here inbefore and as can be seen in FIG. 5, a presently used conventional fastener is such that the distance f between the upper strip 1 and the flange P exceeds the thickness e of the lower strip 2. Consequently, this lower strip cannot perform its lateral positioning rail abutment function before the fastener has been tightened down.

According to the invention, the lower strip 2 of the fastener comprises two abutments 5", 5", which are formed by folding down the two corners of its free end 5. The folding is carried out along'a line 6 which is oblique relative to the direction Z' Z perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the track.

As can be seen in FIG. 3', the folding line 6 makes an acute angle awith the direction Z-Z, this angle being in the chosen example in the neighborhood of 45. Further, the folding angle is designated by the reference y (FIG. 4). Preferably, this angle is in the neighborhood of 30. The values of the angles a and y which are characteristic of the forging of the abutments 5" and 5" are so chosen thatthe angle B that the abutment face proper of the folded corners 5" and 5" makes withthe end face of the strip 2 (FIG. 1) is such that the descent of this lower strip 2 along the face P of the flange of the rail when tightening down the fastener is facilitated;

Indeed, in the course of tightening down, the upper strip 1 of the fastener bends downwardly elastically until the distance f is eliminated, thus achieving a second line of contact with the flange. This results in a pivoting of the loop portion 3 in the recess C of thesupport about the axis X-X and a rotation, with a corresponding lowering, of the upper strip 2. The angle [3 facilitates this rotation of the lower strip about the axis X-X 'while giving the desired progressivity to the abutments 5", 5

resulting from the chosen geometric arrangements.

The value of this angle ,8 canbe between about 5 and 15;

According to another feature, the abutments 5", 5" are given a vertical extent, depending on the position of the foldingline 6 and the angle y, which is such that the overall height E of the lower strip is in the neighborhood of twice the thickness e ofthis strip and in any case less than the thickness of the edge P of the flange of the rail,- bearing in mind the crushing of the lower point of the abutments 5", 5 which is recommended. For example, as the thickness of the rolled spring steel employed for manufacturing the fasteners is usually between 4 and 5 mm. and as the rails of mainlines have a thickness of 10-12 mrnrat the edge of the flange, the total thickness E of the lower strip is chosen of the order of 9- l 0 mm. In this way, it is ensured that when the fastener C is tightened down with its upper stripbearing onthe edge of the flange of therailR and the clearance f is eliminated, the lower branch easily placesitself with sufficient clearance between the underside of the lower strip and the projecting portion of the elastically yieldable sole member S interposed between the rail and its support.

The folding of the corners 5", 5" can of course be achieved any suitable means, for example by hot or cold forging.

The advantages which result from the improvements of the invention are obvious from the foregoing description. However, they will be recalled rapidly. The two folded corners 5" and 5" increase the effective height of the lower branch of the fastener in its function as a lateral abutment against the flange of the rail when laying and before tightening down.

Further, as these abutments are located on the outer edges of the lower strip of the fastener, they are perfectly visible to the person laying the track who is placed slightly to one side so that he can check that the flange of the rail is placed correctly in position between the respective abutments of the fasteners located on the interior and exterior of the track.

Another important advantage resides in the simplicity of manufacture of this fastener, whose price is roughly identical to that of convention fasteners.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been described, many modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

1 claim:

1. An elastically yieldable fastener for fastening a rail having a bottom flange on a support, said fastener being in one piece and comprising two generally plane metal strips interconnected by a loop portion which constitutes the part of the fastener bearing against the rail support, the upper strip bearing against the flange of the rail whereas the lower strip constitutes a lateral abutment for said flange, said strips having aligned holes in their respective center parts for the passage of a fastening member and the lower strip having a free end which engages the lower surface of the upper strip and which is located above said flange of the rail when said fastening member is not yet tightened down, said lower strip having at said free end folded-down corner portions which are contained in oblique planes relative to the edge of the strip which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail. said comer portions and said free end of said lower strip constituting abutment means adapted to ensure the lateral positioning of the rail prior to the tightening down of the fastening member. 7

2. A fastener as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overall height between the upper face of the lower strip and the lower part of said abutment means is substantially twice the thickness of said lower strip and less than the height of the vertical edge of said flange.

3. A fastener as claimed in claim 1, wherein the face of said folded-down corner portion facing said flange makes an angle with the face which constitutes said free edge of the lower strip. 

